A blog about preschool, public schools, and what it's really like to be a teacher

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During morning meeting today, the phone rang, and it was for me. My Americorps volunteer took over with the class, while I talked to a woman from a non-profit organization. I applied for a grant there earlier in the fall, for bus money and outdoor clothing money for my class to have outdoor learning days, but was turned down.

The woman who called said that they have $200 left over which they could use to buy my kids some mittens and boots! So wonderful.

I have to measure the kids’ feet, and get an idea of what sizes to order. The boots we will keep at school, so that on any outdoor learning day, anyone without boots can still be toasty warm. The mittens she will buy from the guy who has a kiosk at the mall each winter, and makes wonderful thick fleece mittens on a string. He always gives me a discount, so I think he will give it to her, too.

(One of my students has a pair of pink mittens — no longer on a string — that look exactly like the ones I buy each year. They must be hand-me-downs from a former student. Nice to see they are still being used.)